


Soap Opera in the Park

by PrecariousSauce



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Light-Hearted, Pre-Video Game: Metal Gear Solid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 10:56:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20993672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrecariousSauce/pseuds/PrecariousSauce
Summary: Mantis’ voice continues,「We’ve got to shift focus. Octopus needs a distraction, says he’s going to plant a tracker or something. Get creative, he needs as much help as he can get.」Wolf is about to ask Liquid if he has any ideas, but from how his eyes are darting around the landscape it seems like he’s already putting something together.She doesn't like how they keep flicking to her. She likes even less how they finally stop on her and Liquid grins a grin she can only call impish.He mouths the wordsPlay Alongbefore pocketing the disposable camera and dropping to one knee.





	Soap Opera in the Park

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this was part of a much longer thing I had written a year ago, but I keep coming back to said Thing™ and just sort of realizing that this was the only part of it I still liked, so! This part gets a spit-shine and a cheeky upload!

It’s as she’s craning her neck to look up at the top of the Eiffel Tower and all she can think is, _That would make for an interesting perch_, that Sniper Wolf realizes she might be a bit of a workaholic.

“Wishing you were up there?” Liquid Snake wonders at her side, nudging her with his shoulder. As she rolls her eyes in his direction it crosses her mind for the fifteenth time since the day’s assignment began that no matter what he _or_ his file say she does _not_ believe he’s an expert in undercover infiltration. No matter how ordinary their clothes are, Liquid is always going to be six feet tall, well-muscled, and strikingly handsome. He could never look ordinary or blend into the background– All the jealous looks she’s received from passers-by for simply standing near him are proof enough of that.

“It is where I _should_ be,” she mutters, blowing some flyaway hair out of her eyes, “I am _wasted_ on a trivial distance like this.”

“We’re not here for our skills,” Liquid reminds her as he takes another photo, the disposable camera looking like a toy in his hands, “We’re here because no one else in FOXHOUND looks normal enough to back Octopus up in public.”

Wolf glances over the several yards between them to see how the man in question is doing. His disguised back is turned to her as he talks, and their target’s mouth is pulling into a scowl as they watch him through narrow eyes. Hopefully Octopus is being irritating on _purpose_ this time.

“You would think Mantis at least could do some sort of psychic disguise,” Wolf remarks as she turns her attention back to the tower, “Make people think they are seeing a normal man instead of a psychic skeleton.”

Liquid shoots her a pointed glare; “He _can_, but it takes more effort than it’s worth. If you _must_ insult him please do it when I’m out of earshot.”

Wolf finds herself pursing her lips; “I… am sorry. I forget the two of you are friends. We did not get along before you joined. We still do not.”

“That’s not surprising,” Liquid replies, turning the camera on her now, “You’re both… prickly. Mantis especially where women are concerned.”

Wolf fakes a smile as Liquid continues to take pictures, saying through gritted teeth, “I imagine you will not tell me _why_ he has this issue?”

He shakes his head as he checks how many shots he has left; “That’s not my story to tell.”

「_Damn right it’s not._」

Wolf bites her tongue to keep from jumping. No matter how often he does it, Mantis speaking in her mind is never expected nor is it comfortable. Liquid doesn’t even flinch. She’s starting to wonder exactly _how_ long they’ve known each other.

Mantis’ voice continues,「_We’ve got to shift focus. Octopus needs a distraction, says he’s going to plant a tracker or something. Get creative, he needs as much help as he can get._」

His presence in their minds blinks out like the flame of a birthday candle. Wolf is about to ask Liquid if he has any ideas, but from how his eyes are darting around the landscape it seems like he’s already putting something together. She doesn't like how they keep flicking to her. She likes even less how they finally stop on her and Liquid grins a grin she can only call impish.

He mouths the words _Play Along_ before pocketing the disposable camera and dropping to one knee.

“Sabryia, these last five years have been the most amazing years of my life,” Liquid begins, voice nearly trembling as he slips into the role of ‘man madly in love’ like it’s a tailored suit, “And I knew that there was no better place than here, no better time than now, to finally ask you… Sabryia Evren, will you make me the happiest man in the world by becoming my wife?”

Despite how there’s likely ten proposals per day in this exact spot, the ordinary tourists have turned to gasp and applaud like this is the first one they've ever seen. Wolf gasps and covers her mouth as her eyes flicker over to Octopus and their target– they’ve drawn the target’s eye, but not much else. They’re going to need to do better than this…

She grins her own impish grin.

She parts her hands so that onlookers can’t see as she smiles down at Liquid and mouths right back, _Play Along_.

Wolf brings her hands up to cover her whole face, takes a deep breath, then throws them down as she exclaims, “Are you fucking _serious_, James?! I have told you, I have told you _so many times_ that I _hate_ public proposals–!"

Liquid plays along beautifully, jerking back like she’s physically hit him as he stammers, “I-I just– I thought since we’re in Paris and it’s our anniversary–"

“Our anniversary is in _April_,” she shoots back, “I _kept telling you_ but you bought the tickets _anyway_ and– You pull a stunt like this and you do not even have a _ring?!_ What did you think was going to happen here?”

Liquid gets to his feet and Wolf can feel the mood of the crowd fall into a nervous tremor around them; “I don’t know, that you’d say _yes?_ And it was either the trip here or the ring, you know how things are at my job, Christ’s _sake_ Sabryia–!”

She shakes her head, running her hands through her hair as a nervous tic she doesn’t have but she’s just decided ‘Sabryia’ does, “Why the fuck did you think I would say yes?! This is just humiliating!”

“Oh you think _you’re_ humiliated right now?! Try being turned down like this in front of all these people!” Liquid shouts, throwing his arm out so wide and so violently he nearly clotheslines someone coming in to try and break this up.

His eyes dart lightning fast to their target and hers follow– they’re not even paying attention to Octopus anymore, just watching the show unfold with a bemused smirk on their face. A good sign, but Wolf knows better than to move before you get the ‘all clear’.

So she yells back, “Do not turn this on me! You brought this on yourself! Why now?! Why like this?! Is this–" she pauses and puts on the best combination of horror and mortification she can mix together, “This is because of _her_, isn’t it?! This is because I caught you with _her!_”

Wolf is quickly learning _exactly_ why Liquid is an expert in undercover infiltration, the false terror and shame in his eyes looks almost like the real thing; “N-no, what are you–? What the bloody Hell are you even–?! This is not about _her_ this is about _you_, because I love you Sabryia–!”

Wolf’s own acting is proving to be much better than she thought it was, she’s able to bring herself to tears as she chokes out, “Did you think this would fix things? That I would just forget what you did because you dangled marriage in front of my face like it is something shiny?! I wanted to forget, I wanted to believe you when you apologized but I do not think I can, not anymore–!"

He tries to come in closer and she turns away as he says, in a stage whisper, “Come on Love, please, let’s talk about this somewhere else–"

Mantis’ voice makes her flinch, but this time that’s to her advantage;「_Alright, as much as everyone out here is probably loving your performance of Soap Opera in the Park, Octopus is giving the ‘all clear’. Shut this down._」

Wolf heeds her cue and screams over her shoulder, “Go to _Hell_, James! I am _done with you!_”

With that she stomps away, deeper into the park surrounding the monument. Liquid keeps several yards between them as he follows her, calling the pseudonym he gave her and begging her to wait. She storms through the Champ de Mars, arms crossed tight over her chest and face pointed towards the ground, until she’s sure there are no more eyewitnesses left. Once she is, Wolf relaxes and stops to lean against one of the trees lining the path, waiting for Liquid to catch up.

“Fantastic idea, the whole ‘other woman’ angle,” Liquid remarks once he’s in earshot, “I have to ask– Is ‘Sabryia’ anywhere close to the real thing?”

She shrugs, not fighting the smile that spreads across her face; “The language is right, but it is on the other end of the alphabet. How about ‘James’?”

The smile on his face as he fishes the camera out of his pocket is soft, unguarded, and Wolf almost feels like she shouldn’t be seeing it; “I’ll just say, I like it better than the real thing.”

Before she can even dream of asking him for clarification he grins and says, “I’ve got one picture left on this roll of film. Mind if you’re the subject?”

She quirks an eyebrow; “Getting those developed would be a massive security risk, I hope you know.”

Liquid’s eyes glint in the dappled sunlight as he replies in a low voice, “Of course I do– You know I can’t resist a risk.”

Wolf is a grown woman. The heat that starts to build in her cheeks is from the early Summer heat, and nothing like what she feels when she gazes through her scope. She’s too close to him for that to make any sense.

She looks away; “Be quick, and do not show anyone or you will not see your death coming.”

Wolf is sure her smile looks terrible in the photo Liquid ends up taking. He says it’s real, and that makes it perfect.


End file.
